iPadOS 16.2 has been out since this week, and aside from a number of great additions, there is one seemingly simple addition in particular that completely delights us. You can now finally add an external monitor to your iPad which is immensely nice for people using Stage Manager, for example.
Granted, it was already possible to mirror an iPad on a monitor or television with an HDMI adapter or even over your network with mirroring software. But it didn’t really become a second display. That is now coming to an end.
iPadOS 16.2 now on second display thanks to Apple
So Apple takes the update one step further. In this case, you don’t mirror your iPad: you expand it. This allows you to work on two screens simultaneously as you do in macOS or Windows.
There is a caveat to this: you must have an iPad with an M-series processor. Older iPads unfortunately do not support the feature. This is because it requires quite a bit of processing power and RAM.
The feature was already announced at WWDC 2022 for iPadOS 16 and iOS 16. It was already found in the beta versions of the software, but Apple withdrew it. So now the feature does pop up in the iOS 16.2 update that is available for download starting this week.
How do I install iOS 16.2?
iOS 16.2 can be installed manually through ‘Settings’ -> ‘General’ -> Software Update. The software is brought in and can be installed by ‘Download and install’.
Stage Manager users freak out over iPadOS 16.2
External screen support has long been high on the list of iPad users who want to use the tablet for “real work. For many, the new capability is ideal in conjunction with Stage Manager.
Stage Manager on the iPad. (Image: Apple)
Stage Manager allows users to better multitask on the screen of the device they are working on. But combined with a second screen thanks to iPadOS 16.2, it thus only works on modern iterations of the Apple tablet, which at least have the M1 processor.
RAM eaters on your iPad
The combination of an external monitor through your iPad and Stage Manager is quite demanding on your tablet. Nevertheless, Apple has decided to at least release the app on older iPads as well. The 2018 (A12X chip) and 2020 (A12Z chip) models will also get the new functionality. These are the 11-inch iPad Pro (third-generation or newer) and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (third-generation or newer).
It is safe to say that Stage Manager is unlikely to run very smoothly on larger projects when several apps are open at the same time. So an iPad with an M-series processor is recommended as an external screen is out of the question.
Still, we are hugely excited about the iPadOS 16.2 update for iPad (and iPhone). Check out more features you’ll come across below.
